Rick Rogers: Memories make Thanksgiving special

Well, I hope everyone had a wonderful Turkey Day. I hope the pants didn’t fit too snug now, and that you enjoyed all the turkey and fixings with family and loved ones.

That’s what Thanksgiving is all about. It’s about spending one day away from life’s hectic pace, and gathering around a table with family and friends to share a great meal. And that’s exactly what my family did on this Turkey Day.

I have grown to love Thanksgiving more with age. As a child and teenager, Christmas is the holiday all of holidays.

But Thanksgiving has grown on my list of favorite holidays for one simple reason — there are no strings attached. It’s just a day to gather and have fellowship with family.

The only stress or worry is helping make sure the meal is prepared and ready for the feast. And yes, I know, that can be stressful enough.

While we were sitting in the living room of Elizabeth’s parents house after dinner last night, my father-in-law was playing with our daughter, Rachel. They were playing the “gimme five” game. He would stick his hand out flat and say, “Gimme five,” and Rachel would try to slap his hand as hard as her little hand could. I just sat back and smiled. And the memories came rushing back.

When I was a Rachel’s age, my mother and I lived with my grandparents. Our Thanksgiving was spent at home with grandma making a feast, and everyone would gather around the dining room table, which was used only twice a year — for Thanksgiving and Christmas — and share a large meal.

My great-grandmother, who lived to be 99 years old, would be picked up from the nursing home and be seated in her wheelchair at the head of the table. She still ruled the roost.

The children, my cousins and myself, would all be seated in the adjoining living room around a little card table. It would take almost 20 years until I would graduate to the main “adult” table.

After dinner, the family would all move to the living room. And, I remember this so vividly, my grandpa and I would also play the “gimme five” game. He loved playing that game with me.

As I grew older and moved out of the house with my mother and my father, grandpa and I would still always say goodbye by giving each other five. My grandpa passed away in 1998, and it’s one of the best memories we shared together.

So, when I sat in the chair and watched Rachel and her grandpa give each other five, it warmed my heart a little.

And it also made me realize Thanksgiving is about making memories with family — and that’s why it’s my favorite holiday of the year.

Rick Rogers is the publisher of The Neosho Daily News. E-mail him at rrogers@neoshodaily news.com.